


you should see me in a crown

by lunaticmeap



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Allura (Voltron) Lives, Crack, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Hair, Hair Braiding, M/M, Post-War, that's it that's the entire plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-16
Updated: 2019-12-16
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:15:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21818776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunaticmeap/pseuds/lunaticmeap
Summary: post-season 8 + Keith with braids + Shiro doing braids.It starts out with Keith being too lazy to cut his hair regardless of how much nagging Lance makes about not looking like the next abominable monster to walk down the Garrison halls, though Keith argues that he wants to try long hair and not that he’s much too sentimental about long hair since his mullet days.That’s when Shiro suggests getting a hair tie to:1) stop Lance from screaming every time his hair drags into his food at lunch, and;2) to stop every Garrison employee from gawking at Keith as he flips his hair behind his shoulder, after which they spend the rest of eternity gossiping about which hair product Keith uses when in reality he would literally use dog shampoo if Shiro hadn’t meticulously and very carefully placed the bottle in a separate place (honestlywhy is Kosmo’s shampoo even in the shower when they don’t even give the giant mutt washes in their bathroom?).
Relationships: Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 91





	you should see me in a crown

**Author's Note:**

> I originally posted this as a longish headcanon on tumblr but then kinda expanded on it and got this. This is my favourite trope in all the world, honestly. Any of you out there who can tie up your significant others' hair, you are a freaking blessing.  
> Title taken from Billie Eilish's song of the same name becuz you cant tell me Keith doesnt have that kind of vibe.

It starts out with Keith being too lazy to cut his hair regardless of how much nagging Lance makes about not looking like the next abominable monster to walk down the Garrison halls, though Keith argues that he wants to try long hair and not that he’s much too sentimental about long hair since his mullet days. 

That’s when Shiro suggests getting a hair tie to:  
1) stop Lance from screaming every time his hair drags into his food at lunch, and;  
2) to stop every Garrison employee from gawking at Keith as he flips his hair behind his shoulder, after which they spend the rest of eternity gossiping about which hair product Keith uses when in reality he would literally use dog shampoo if Shiro hadn’t meticulously and very carefully placed the bottle in a separate place (honestly _why is Kosmo’s shampoo even in the shower when they don’t even give the giant mutt washes in their bathroom?_ ).

(And it is imperative that Keith doesn’t use Kosmo’s shampoo so that Shiro doesn’t turn over in bed every morning to wonder whether he’s smelling his husband or their dog - the former he much prefers, thank you very much.)

At first Keith’s hair are ponytails that looks more like a chicken butts than anything. But then it gets longer and longer, and before long, Keith was a master at the art of the messy bun. It was his go-to for everything, and it was a work of art in itself as Shiro observes Keith twisting and tying it low on his neck or at the top of his head - the high buns gave him the urge to tickle the back of Keith’s neck with pecks. 

The dishevelled hair didn’t exactly work with the Blades’ uniform, but Keith pulls it off somehow. 

“It’s a look,” Pidge shrugs. “You really can’t make him try any harder than that.”

“At the welcoming party for New Altea though?” Lance tuts. “If he would just let me play with it for just ten minutes, he would look so much better.” 

“If you had ten minutes to do his hair, you would lose your hands by the end of it,” Shiro laugh. 

“Intervention time, Shiro. You’re his husband. Please for the love of god and for your friend’s sake and also for your husband’s sake please, _please_ tell him to do his hair?” Lance begs him. 

“Why does it even matter what I do with my hair?” Keith returns to them with two glasses of champagne and hands one over to Shiro before putting his free arm around Shiro’s waist. “This style is functional and easy. I’m happy with it.” 

“Keith, for god’s sake it’s a party where people dress up. Look at Allura!” Lance points to Allura. 

“I’m looking.” Keith deadpans. “What about her?”

“You could be as radiant as her but you refuse to look any better than you usually do for a special occasion like this one. My dude, you really gotta step up your game or me and Allura are gonna steal the _Best Couple_ award at every event from now on.” Lance pats his shoulder once before for the next tray of hor d'oeuvres, leaving Shiro and Keith to their own devices.

“It’s a welcoming party for New Altea, of course Allura’s going to be the centre of attention,” Keith mumbled into his glass with a sulk. “And what is even the _Best Couple_ award? What is this? The KBS Drama Awards?”

Shiro sighed, “I shouldn’t have let you binge k-drama for five days straight.” 

“You couldn’t stop me even if you tried.”

And then his hair got very long - enough that it was braid-able. And ever the incredible mother that Krolia was, she decides the messy bun was just not appropriate enough when Keith was about to perform a smackdown on the next idiotic general at a Marmora meeting, and suggests Keith learns to braid. 

“Braids are usually only ever worn by Galra higher ranking officials and/or the royal family,” she says. “And you _are_ one of our highest ranking commanding officers.”

“You seriously want me to start looking as intimidating as Kolivan?” 

Krolia shrugs, “It is your choice. And Kolivan doesn’t look _that_ intimidating with his braid.”

“Oh no, he’s intimidating with any kind of hair he has.” Keith grins, and Krolia smacks him on the head for that. 

That weekend, Keith spends a day figuring out how to simply do a french braid whilst watching every tutorial that existed online. For all his fury and dexterity in fighting, Keith just could not teach himself the subtle art of braiding one’s hair. And that’s how Shiro found Keith later that afternoon as he came back from a conference on New Altea: sprawled on the floor between the couch and the coffee table, with a mirror, comb and tablet before him, looking like he has RegretsTM in life. Shiro chuckles with amusement gracing the edge of his eyes as he glances at the mess on top of Keith’s head. 

“What exactly are you trying to do?” He smiles as Keith drops his arms from his hair in frustration after the _nth_ time trying to tie off the braid without having a billion strands splitting in a thousand directions. 

“A french braid,” Keith says sulkily. “I don’t get how people just do this.”

“You tried asking your mom?” 

“She said she kept her hair short her entire life.”

Shiro hums, pulling Keith to lean against him. “Kolivan?”

“No. _Hell_ no.”

“Why not?”

“Weird enough he’s my commanding officer _and_ dating my mom. I don’t even want to try to top that off.”

With a hum, Shiro situates himself behind Keith with knees on either side and removes elastic at the end of the mess of a braid. He cards his hand through it to return Keith’s hair to semblance of normalcy. Then - for the life of Keith as he had failed to figure it out for the last hour or so - Shiro starts to braid his hair. He tugs gently on every strand in his hold, keeping it neat and tight, but not painful against Keith’s scalp. And at the very end of it, he ties it off neatly before throwing the braid over Keith’s shoulder and giving him a kiss on his cheek. “All done.”

Keith’s hand comes up to play with the neatly done braid, feeling its texture and the crisscross of hair strands against his head and looking at Shiro in awe. “When did you learn how to do this?”

Shiro shrugs, feigning nonchalance but it was clear by the glint in his eye of how proud he was of his work. “It’s what happens when you’re somehow the only boy in your extended family, and your cousins’ favourite pastime is to play with their hair.” 

“Remind me to thank them at the next family reunion.” Keith laughs.. 

It starts from there. 

Sometimes when they had lunch together in their offices, Shiro finds Keith’s messy bun atop his head, and spends a little time after lunch to redo it into a neat braid before their next meeting. It was purely out of instinct that they started having that kind of ritual, but it was one both soon came to enjoy. One time the elastic snaps and Shiro blinks, perplexed by the occurrence but quickly recovers like the quick-thinking tactician that he is. He wraps the hair up into a braided bun instead by sticking a pen he snatches from his stash of ballpoint pens.

When Keith meets up with Lance that day, the later gawks, pokes and prods at the stick in Keith’s hair, questioning how Keith could do such wizardry. Keith only shrugs and smirks if a bit ( _a lot_ ) proud at Shiro, “It’s Shiro. What did you expect?”

And ever since the discovery of Shiro’s hidden talent (that is the one relating to doing Keith’s hair, though Shiro does have many quirks and talent pertaining to the bedroom that Keith does not and will not divulge in further details, _Lance, fuck off_ ), Shiro uses all of his charms - not that he required it - to make Keith spendr five minutes sitting still just so his husband could tie his hair up before they headed off, despite the fact that Keith had finally learned how to french braid for a while then. 

A very hungover Pidge stays over at their place to see the act in the happening one day, which involves a series of reactions which Shiro has yet to figure out whether it was because of her hangover or because Shiro and Keith were just really really grossly into each other. 

She holds her cup of ( _black, without sugar, as bitter as her soul)_ coffee as she watches the husbands calmly going through their morning, then she smashes her head on the kitchen counter with an audibly painful thud.

“Jesus christ, Pidge.” Keith jumps slightly at the sound. “What are you…?”

“You guys are so domestic I can’t handle,” she slurs. “Like honestly you’re like an old married couple, except you don’t fix each others’ tie, you just fix each others’ hair - makes Lance jealous because neither he nor Allura has that kind of patience, heh.” 

Then she runs to the bathroom and empties her stomach of whatever existed in her stomach. Pidge wears contact lenses for the rest of the day after smashing her glasses and sport a peculiar looking bruise on the bridge of her nose that she accuses Keith of punching her earlier that day, though Lance believes it was well deserving if Keith ever punched anyone. 

It is that critical moment when Pidge realises that she had witnessed the happenings of the universe’s greatest bromance that transcends all reality. It is the moment when Keith turns to Lance as if touched beyond words, eyes brimming with emotions in a comical way, and his lips quiver, threatening tears, “Bro, I can’t believe you said that.”

“Of course I would!” Lance nods in a similarly dramatic manner, patting twice on Keith’s shoulder like true bros. “I gotchu, fam. I gotchu.” 

Keith places a hand to his heart, profoundly touched, “Bro…”

Pidge excuses herself from the lunch table and burns her contact lenses on the windowsill of her lab, just in case the essence of what she saw remained on them. 

Overall, Keith considers it a win that he grossed her out for an entire day, and Shiro sighs in mild amusement, sinking lower into his office’s seat as Keith wipes tears of laughter from his eyes as he recalls the day. Then, Keith peers over the table to the datapad in Shiro’s hand with interest, then raises his head with an exasperated look. 

“Do you really have to go?” Keith asks whilst Shiro looks down to his datapad where an invitation to the annual summit, next to an email asking Shiro to be a part of the Garrison’s representative 

Shiro chuckles, “Why? Do you not want to go?”

“When do I ever?” Keith rolls his eyes and plop himself comfortably onto the seat in front of Shiro’s desk. “If you go, then mom will be hounding for me to go with the Blades. And if I say no, then she’ll guilt trip me by saying I should go to be with you because else, you’ll be by yourself and she’ll start telling you my dirty secrets.”

“You realise she thinks you’re her golden child, right?”

Keith throws his head back in a laugh, “Yeah, I was until she got inlaws. She basically adopted you and now you’re the typical golden eldest, and I’m the middle child that she tolerates.”

“Middle? Who’s the youngest?”

“Romelle,” Keith says in a matter-of-factly tone with his eyes narrowing. “Apparently somehow Romelle managed to convince her that she’s the innocent little sister and I have rabies-”

“But you _do_ have rabies.” Shiro says, completely serious as Keith stares back at him with his right eye twitching. 

“Hey at least I didn’t ruined the plumbing in the toilet on B3 the other day.”

“Wait, Romelle was the one who flooded the toilets? I had to walk downstairs to use the toilet for an entire week because of that.”

Keith nods, hands held out in innocence and picks a candy from the bowl on the desk. “See? She’s the one with rabies. And yet we are still arguing who mom loves more. ‘Melle says it’s her, I say it’s you.”

“Because I’m the golden child,” Shiro hums in understanding.

Keith grins and gives him a cheeky finger gun, “Bingo. But I don’t mind being second-”

“Third.” Shiro interrupted and returns Keith’s grin with his own. Keith’s expression immediately turned sour. 

“You realise if you ever lose her favour, Romelle will be the one to take your portion of the Thanksgiving pies. I can pull the _I’m your blood child_ card, but you can’t, _husband_ , and-”

“And my _husband_ generously gives me his-”

“-I _don’t_ share mom’s pies.” Keith says with satisfaction as sweat trickled down Shiro’s forehead and a poker-but-panicked look plastered onto his face. Keith tilted his head slightly with a Cheshire grin. “Best to not go to the Summit in case something bad happens and we both lose our favour with her, Shiro.”

Shiro turns to his datapad where a written email confirming his participation is ready to be sent, pursing his lips. “How is it that you said exactly-” he glances up to Keith with an unimpressed grin suddenly spreading onto his features, “-what your mom told me you would say?”

Keith’s face immediately drops as Shiro press send and begins to pack up to leave.

“Your mom sent me a text this morning saying that my pie privileges will only ever be withdrawn if I fail to make you go to this summit. So I’m fulfilling my duty as your husband and her inlaw.” Shiro closes his bag. “And I get pie. Everyone wins!” 

Keith didn’t stop calling him _traitor_ and refers to him as _Your Favourite Child_ when Krolia video calls them that night. 

The Galactic Alliance Summit is held on Daibazaal two weeks later, and Keith (reluctantly) attends as the Blade of Marmora’s representative, and Shiro attends as the Galaxy Garrison’s. The morning affairs are diplomatic and regal, requiring them both to dress fully in the uniforms of their organisation, but the evening banquet is when guests mingle, relax, and win each others favours by personality and charm instead. 

And as per Lance’s bitching, Keith finally relents to sit down for twenty minutes to let Shiro do his hair. Though Lance’s reasons are rather understandable at that time of day when he has just seen Keith post jest-lagged nap in which Keith drools over the pillow and rubs his head on it enough times to make his hair stand up from static electricity. An intervention is only appropriate.

Shiro and Keith walks into the hall with their arms around each other’s, decked in formal but far less constricting clothes. Keith wears the trademark formalwear of the Blades, and Shiro wears a well-fitting suit and tie. And where Shiro’s silver hair is neatly combed back, Keith’s is elaborately done into a braided crown that Krolia greatly approves when she sees it. She even promises extra servings (of pie) for Shiro at that year’s Thanksgiving.

( _“You’re sharing your serving of the pie, right?” Keith asks Shiro once they’re away from Krolia’s reach._

_Shiro gives him a shit-eating grin, “Keith, I love you. But not enough to share Krolia’s pie.”)_

“I had never thought that I would see the day that Keith allowed a hair stylist to walk into his vicinity, let alone touch his hair,” Allura jokes when she comes to speak with them.

“I didn’t,” Keith responds. “Shiro had too much free time.” 

“You like it when I do your hair though,” Shiro nudges his shoulder. “Don’t deny it.”

“I’m not. It really is amazing.” Keith says flatly. “Thank you.”

“You don’t look particularly thrilled about it though, Keith.” Allura notices. “You look as if a bird had just splattered onto your recently washed hoverbike. Or perhaps Shiro said no to one of your sexual requests.”

Keith chokes on the hors d’oeuvres and begins to cough aggressively whilst Shiro uses the moment to ask Allura, “Do you think he looks like a Galra Emperor?”

Even between his coughs, Keith groans in annoyance as Allura shakes with laughter, “Very much so. You should have taken that offer, Keith. You certainly look the part.” 

“You’re the one that likes the crown aesthetic more than I do.” 

“Regardless, your hair is amazing today,” she grins before catching someone’s eyes across the room and giving them a small wave. “I’ll see you at the table.” She says as Lance came by to whisk her off for dinner. 

“That’s the tenth compliment today about your hair.” Shiro speaks lightly into his ears as they walk to their place on the long dining table. “Maybe you should try styling it more.” 

“Hmm,” Keith hums, reluctant. 

“No?”

“Unless you’re sharing the pie.” 

Shiro chuckles, “Alright, if I were to give you my share, then would you do your hair more?”

“Hmm.”

“Still no?”

“Maybe if you ask nice enough,” he turns to Shiro, wrapping his arms around his waist and leaning into his space. “I don’t need to look good for them. I only need to look good for you.”

Shiro suddenly pulls Keith behind one of the pillars away from view and faces Keith with a thoughtful glance. His left hand comes up to pull small strands of baby hair to frame Keith’s face, dropping them slowly as if they hung crystals. Then Shiro kisses him, teeth diving in, biting, pulling, and mouth sucking his breath away with a ferocity that his lips a little tingling and swollen. Keith feels heat on every bit of him that Shiro touches, and his hands hangs onto Shiro’s arm holding him lest he slips away from this moment. 

When they part, Shiro wipes a thumb over Keith’s cheek and smiles in satisfaction at his work.

“Perfect.” 

**Author's Note:**

> also please imagine shiro doing awesome warrior braids for keith whenever he's doing crazy meetings. i headcanon that the more elaborate the braids are the more higher ranking the person is, and you cant tell me shiro wont constantly put a crown on keith's head because that's the truth.  
> also this one time he gave keith the most uneven pigtails for funsies and pidge laughed so hard she choked on the gum she was chewing, also consider the fact that shiro is japanese and there's that thing that brushing the hair of your spouse is a great act of love soooooo
> 
> Literally here just have all these great fanart of Keith with a braid:  
> \- zuspacey's _[All the tender moments](https://zuspacey.tumblr.com/post/184434461965/all-the-tender-moments)_  
>  \- Sa's _[Time travelling Keith](https://lightningstrikes-art.tumblr.com/post/183114233349/wibbily-wobbly-timeywimey)_ (actually literally anything that Sa draws with Keith post-war is basically Keith with braid, so go enjoy that)  
> \- aether's _[The hermit and The star tarot cards](https://aether-staza.tumblr.com/post/183840156605/the-hermit-and-the-star-my-tarot-card-inspired)_ (literally this post and the entirety of aether's page is probably why i wrote this piece lol. They draw Keith has so many cool hairstyles I was basically screeching).
> 
> HMU on [Tumblr!](https://meapistrash.tumblr.com/)


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